Man arrested after attacking vehicle with baseball bat

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Idaho Falls Police officers arrested 39-year-old Idaho Falls resident Wednesday after he attacked an occupied vehicle with a baseball bat and made threats to the occupants.

At about 12:40 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of Skyline Drive after receiving calls reporting that a man, identified as Jason Plaizier, was yelling and hitting a vehicle with a baseball bat.

When officers arrived, Plaizier had left the scene.

The vehicle was occupied by a man and woman who reported they had just pulled into the parking lot when Plaizier pulled in behind them, got out of his vehicle and yelled for the woman to get out of the vehicle.

Plaizier then began to hit the vehicle repeatedly with the bat, damaging the
windshield and other areas of the vehicle.

The male driver backed the vehicle up and pulled away to get away from Plaizier who continued to attack the vehicle and shattered the rear passenger window as the man and woman drove away.

The woman showed officers texts she had received that day from Plaizier.

Several of the texts included threatening, angry and derogatory messages.

While discussing the incident with officers, the woman said she believed Plaizier intended to kill her and she feared for her life.

While officers were on scene with the victims, Plaizier called the victim.

The call was placed on speakerphone, and officers attempted to speak with Plaizier unsuccessfully.

Plaizier repeatedly yelled through the phone, making incoherent and threatening statements towards the victim, the male occupant of the vehicle and law enforcement.

Officers began an extensive search for Plaizier through out the city.

Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputies also searched for Plaizier in Bonneville County.

At approximately 4:15 p.m., officers were called back to the address on Skyline for a report that Plaizier had just broken a window at a residence there before fleeing again. The back window of the vehicle involved in the earlier altercation was parked outside and now also had the back window
shattered.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., an IFPD Officer located Plaizier at his residence on AliceStreet. The officer knocked on the door and, when he answered, directed Plaizier to open the door and to come outside.

Plaizier refused to come outside, but the officer could see Plaizier had a knife in a sheath on his side.

Plaizier made several motions in the area of the knife and was directed to not reach for the knife.

Another officer arrived, and Plaizier was detained at that time.

Plaizier’s vehicle was located outside this address, and a bat matching the description of the one used in the earlier incidents was observed in plain view in Plaizier’s vehicle.

The bat was seized as evidence and was found to have fresh metal markings and glass on it.

Plaizier was taken to the Bonneville County Jail and booked for felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two misdemeanor counts of malicious injury to property.